TRUSTe Unveils First Trusted Download Whitelist
TRUSTe today announced their first whitelist of download software who passed their beta certification process.
Certified software on their list include:
CamFrog Video Chat 3.81 (Camshare LLC)
Coupon Bar 5.0 (Coupons, Inc.)
Coupon Printer 3.3 (Coupons, Inc.)
Crawler Toolbar 4.5.0 (Crawler LLC)
Illumio 1.2.73 (Tacit Software, Inc.)
MostFun 1.0 (NeoEdge)
Save/SaveNow 4.0 (whenU)
Vomba 1.2.0.0 (Vomba Network Inc.)
TRUSTe states in the press release regarding their beta certification:
quote:
The program sponsors, representing leading content and search providers, anti-spyware vendors and online advertisers, offer market incentives for downloadable software publishers to get certified. AOL, CA, CNET Networks, Microsoft, Verizon and Yahoo! will use the whitelist as a tool to help make business decisions related to advertising, partnering and distributing software products. By providing a whitelist of trusted applications, the program aims to provide attractive market incentives to software publishers to meet the requirements and earn certification.
Some may remember questions raised regarding TRUSTe Privacy certification process. Carolyn Hodge then answered fourteen questions posed by Wayne arising from the controversy. In her responses, Carolyn mentions the Download Certification program that was then in the works.
More to come on this I’m sure.
With WhenU on their current list and from Wayne’s questions about the time it takes them to unlist “bad” adware, how reliable and trustworthy are these people? I’ve never heard of them and they’ve been in existence for 10 years?? I got hit recently with Webhancer as an illegal download, couldn’t even tell you where I got it.
Catwoman
Comment by Catwoman — February 16, 2007 @ 8:25 am
Seriously WhenU made the list…Kellie I’d love to hear your take on that and what your latest tests of their software reveal?
Comment by Chris Sanderson — February 16, 2007 @ 1:16 pm
“Seriously WhenU made the list…Kellie I’d love to hear your take on that and what your latest tests of their software reveal?”
They are still an affiliate. They still do pop-ups. But none of that is part of TRUSTe’s certification. I haven’t seen anything in the TRUSTe documentation that how applications generate revenue is part of their certification process or what they are looking at.
For those in online advertising, I see this whole TRUSTe certification as yet another step in justifying software behavior with regards to revenue generation through user consent. And to legitimize the software overall. User consent is NOT the end all for acceptable practices by software. I’ve said it for years and my opinion hasn’t changed.
Comment by Kellie AFP — February 16, 2007 @ 1:26 pm
There seems to be way too many people out there trying to be “adware Gods” who don’t have a clue what the hell they’re talking about or what they’re doing. Who do they think they are anyway?
So if they have a EULA and full disclosure, no illegal downloads, blah blah blah BUT they steal commissions from honest advertisers, whether affiliates and/or merchants, they can still be certified? That doesn’t even come into consideration when evaluating an app? What the hell is that?? Their certification means diddly squat in our business. In fact, they’re hurting us a lot more than helping anything.
I wish all these so-called “adware gurus” who try to do “the best they can” (*cough cough*) to make them legal or whatever it is they’re always trying to do, just stayed out of this and left this kind of work to real experts on the matters at hand - like Kellie, Ben, or Wayne. If they can’t do the work themselves or don’t know what to look for, the least they could do is hire experts as consultants to steer them in the right direction.
Right now, they just plain suck.
Just my thoughts…
Catwoman
Comment by Catwoman — February 16, 2007 @ 6:30 pm
[…] The Download Certification Program is now in beta and TRUSTe released their first list of “white listed” applications. Vomba was one of the two adware applications white listed by TRUSTe. They are very specific in that it is Vomba 1.2.0.0 which has received their certification. And the company given for the software is Vomba Network, Inc (not even Media Traffic). […]
Pingback by » The Rebirth Of Integrated Search Technologies (ISTBar/Slotch/et al) — March 12, 2007 @ 12:44 pm
Nice information… useful… looking for this one from long time. Thanks
Comment by Software Collector — November 14, 2008 @ 2:24 am